Manu Tukutuku

The maori kite is known as Manu tukutuku. Manu means both kite and bird and the word tukutuku is talking about the winding out of the line as the kite climbs upwards into the sky. They were flown for fun but also had other uses... Thanks for the AWESOME research Abi, Zara and Ellie.


We made Manu taratahi (this means single-pointed). They had a triangular shape as their base. They are usually made of toe toe, harakeke cord and raupo slats. We used rolled up newspapers, string and cardboard! We did try to fly them but knew they were really just decorative kites! The koru patterns on our slats were fantastic! These were a great co-operative activity.